Introduction

Whenever I use allspice it always reminds me of fragrant West Indian food such as pepper pot soup, curried goat or the classic jerk seasoning. In fact, allspice is sometimes described as Jamaica pepper. The wonderful thing about allspice/ pimento is that it has a flavour reminiscent of a number of other spices including juniper, black peppercorns, nutmeg and cinnamon, so by adding a touch of it to your food you end up adding lots of wonderful aromatic layers. This salad is packed with heaps of flavour and is high in fibre, antioxidants and vitamins, making it a good low-fat lunch that’s sure to keep hunger under control!

Serves 4

Easy

Ingredients

350g

pumpkin, seeded (skin left on), chopped into 2cm cubes

1 tbsp

olive oil

1

large red onion, finely chopped

½

scotch bonnet chilli, seeded and finely chopped

1 x 400g tin

black beans, drained and rinsed

300g

cold cooked brown or white rice

1

red pepper, seeded and cut into cubes

1 tbsp

freshly snipped chives

1-2

spring onions, chopped

For the dressing:

Leaves from 10 sprigs of thyme

Juice of 2 limes

2 tbsp

extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp

ground allspice

Salt, to taste

Instructions

Add the pumpkin to a pan of boiling water and cook for 10 minutes, or until tender. Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside to cool.

Heat the oil in a large, flameproof casserole over a medium heat, add the red onion, scotch bonnet and cooked pumpkin and sauté until the pumpkin starts to brown and caramelise.

Remove from the heat and transfer to a large serving platter. Mix in the beans, rice, red pepper, chives and spring onions.

In a jug, mix together all the ingredients for the dressing until emulsified, then pour over the salad and serve.

More Salad Recipes

This recipe is featured in

After the success of her first book Sunshine on a Plate released in June 2013, Shelina Permalloo's second book The Sunshine Diet is inspired by her own personal journey to health and wellness through cooking the food she loves most.